Yeah, my buddhism class just started so we are still mainly on the life of Buddha stuff and it's just like :zzz:
James, fair point. I often think to myself, hey, life isn't so bad, I could be starving to death in some third world country (where buddhism is practiced).
Fortunately, most Buddhists here don't really practice that part, but rather they make use of the postive, life-affirming stuff, and try to shrug off addictive behaviors which are rather rampant in our society.
Also I corrupted one from considering going abstinent to having threesomes. I was so proud.
“His is a beautiful explanation, and it seems to me that the superiority of the Christian message each day becomes more visible. When it is most attacked, Christianity shines with greater truth. Being the negation of mythology, Christianity shines especially in the moment in which our world once again fills itself with sacrificial mythologies. I have always understood the ‘scandal’ of the Christian revelation in a radical way. In Christianity, rather than assuming the point of view of the crowd, we assume the view of the innocent victim. Thus Christianity deals with a complete reversal of the archaic scenario. And it brings about the exhaustion of violence.â€
Girard talks about our obsession with sexuality:
“In the Gospels, there is nothing sexual, and this fact has been completely romanticized by contemporary Gnostics. Gnostics, as always, exclude categories of persons, and transform them into enemies. Christianity is the exact opposite of mythology and of Gnosticism. Today, a form of neo-paganism is being advanced. The greatest error of postmodern philosophy is to have thought that it could freely transform man into a mechanism for pleasure. From this pursuit of pleasure comes de-humanization, which begins with the false desire to prolong life’s pleasures by sacrificing the greatest goods.â€
As might be expected by anyone who would write such a piece of drivel, that man has absolutely no conception of the history of christianity.
RiemannLives on
Attacked by tweeeeeeees!
0
Options
Podlyyou unzipped me! it's all coming back! i don't like it!Registered Userregular
Just keep in mind that people tend to have a really hard time being objective about religions in general, especially if they have a whole other set of biases going for them, and that there are so many different versions of religions that anything true for one fraction of it may be absolutely unrelated to a different fraction.
Be really careful about narrowing things down too much or over-interpreting with your own biases.
--
Girard is one of the very few writers that I have actual, true, natural respect for. He is to me like Hawking is to science nerds who don't know enough to realize how flawed Hawking's ideas have been.
Just keep in mind that people tend to have a really hard time being objective about religions in general, especially if they have a whole other set of biases going for them, and that there are so many different versions of religions that anything true for one fraction of it may be absolutely unrelated to a different fraction.
Be really careful about narrowing things down too much or over-interpreting with your own biases.
*nods* Yeah, I'm trying to go in with an open mind. I was raised christian, but I dropped that faith a long time ago. I'm just a very, very un-religiously minded person, but I've already found some things I like, and some things I don't. I just really want to get past the stories about the buddha's psychic powers and crap.
Buddhism has encountered incredible amounts of regional revision. In some places it's an atheist philosophy, other places... well, read Monkey/Journey to the West.
As might be expected by anyone who would write such a piece of drivel, that man has absolutely no conception of the history of christianity.
And From whom did you learn this factical "history of christianity?"
I will assume "factical" is just a typo and not one of your made-up words.
In another context that could be a good question but considering who is asking it I am guessing it is merely an opening for a long winded and pointless tangent. It would be impossible for one person to be an expert on such a large subject.
But it requires no great expertise to see that either that man is just fucking around with definitions (I'll just define "mythology" to mean "not Christianity" and like magic they are now opposites!) or completely delusional. Look at the source material. The composition of the early church. How could someone read the Nag Hamadi texts and claim they are the "opposite" of christianity? Or make the claim there is no sexuality in the gospels? Not much certainly. But not "none".
Edit: Gah, I can't believe I am even wasting precious seconds thinking about this. I'm going for a run.
Seriously. "Christianity is the exact opposite of mythology and of Gnosticism." How could someone actually think that? Madness.
I think he's talking about the perspective it takes and not the religion itself.
No he's not. And his arguments are pretty sound and coherent.
He quite clearly says that Christianity takes the perspective of the victim and of persons, which makes it the opposite of Gnosticism. Unless I'm reading this wrong.
edit: I'm not arguing against his arguments.
James on
0
Options
Podlyyou unzipped me! it's all coming back! i don't like it!Registered Userregular
It would be impossible for one person to be an expert on such a large subject.
So you are standing against your previous thesis?
But it requires no great expertise to see that either that man is just fucking around with definitions (I'll just define "mythology" to mean "not Christianity" and like magic they are now opposites!) or completely delusional. Look at the source material. The composition of the early church. How could someone read the Nag Hamadi texts and claim they are the "opposite" of christianity? Or make the claim there is no sexuality in the gospels? Not much certainly. But not "none".
No. By mythology, he means the linguistic drive to reproduce itself through ethnocentrism. This, Girard argues, is why every culture has their own mythologies. It's why mythologies have to be unreal, because they have to be the functional core of culture/society. Christianity, on the other hand, does not seek to reproduce it's culture in violence, but rather assimilate everyone into its mythos so that they can be saved and there can be peace.
It would be impossible for one person to be an expert on such a large subject.
So you are standing against your previous thesis?
But it requires no great expertise to see that either that man is just fucking around with definitions (I'll just define "mythology" to mean "not Christianity" and like magic they are now opposites!) or completely delusional. Look at the source material. The composition of the early church. How could someone read the Nag Hamadi texts and claim they are the "opposite" of christianity? Or make the claim there is no sexuality in the gospels? Not much certainly. But not "none".
No. By mythology, he means the linguistic drive to reproduce itself through ethnocentrism. This, Girard argues, is why every culture has their own mythologies. It's why mythologies have to be unreal, because they have to be the functional core of culture/society. Christianity, on the other hand, does not seek to reproduce it's culture in violence, but rather assimilate everyone into its mythos so that they can be saved and there can be peace.
Historically that's a pretty bad explanation. Christianity assimilated and saved after killing everyone.
Christianity, on the other hand, does not seek to reproduce it's culture in violence, but rather assimilate everyone into its mythos so that they can be saved and there can be peace.
ahahahhahahahahhaha
oh jesus podly, you crack me up
hey everybody go to HA and help me out with my computron!
The Cat on
0
Options
Podlyyou unzipped me! it's all coming back! i don't like it!Registered Userregular
It would be impossible for one person to be an expert on such a large subject.
So you are standing against your previous thesis?
But it requires no great expertise to see that either that man is just fucking around with definitions (I'll just define "mythology" to mean "not Christianity" and like magic they are now opposites!) or completely delusional. Look at the source material. The composition of the early church. How could someone read the Nag Hamadi texts and claim they are the "opposite" of christianity? Or make the claim there is no sexuality in the gospels? Not much certainly. But not "none".
No. By mythology, he means the linguistic drive to reproduce itself through ethnocentrism. This, Girard argues, is why every culture has their own mythologies. It's why mythologies have to be unreal, because they have to be the functional core of culture/society. Christianity, on the other hand, does not seek to reproduce it's culture in violence, but rather assimilate everyone into its mythos so that they can be saved and there can be peace.
Historically that's a pretty bad explanation. Christianity assimilated and saved after killing everyone.
What is the timeperiod that we are using? The original christians thought that the world would end during their lifetime.
What is the timeperiod that we are using? The original christians thought that the world would end during their lifetime.
Uh
its happening now. Want to maybe read up on the actions of orthodox christians in eastern europe and russia?
Don't be retarded.
Excuse me? There are plenty of documented instances of the local christians in those areas running other religions out of town on a rail. Peace and love my ass. And don't get me started on South East Asia. Christians are no more or less magically likely to adhere to non-violence than any other spiritual group, and you look like a complete idiot arguing otherwise.
What is the timeperiod that we are using? The original christians thought that the world would end during their lifetime.
Uh
its happening now. Want to maybe read up on the actions of orthodox christians in eastern europe and russia?
Don't be retarded.
Excuse me? There are plenty of documented instances of the local christians in those areas running other religions out of town on a rail. Peace and love my ass. And don't get me started on South East Asia. Christians are no more or less magically likely to adhere to non-violence than any other spiritual group, and you look like a complete idiot arguing otherwise.
You know full well that people use any ideologies to justify violence. Don't give me that crap.
Hey guys, let's say, for hypotheticality's sake that I like the voice of that guy in Viva La Vida. I need more songs like that, but not necessarily by him.
Posts
Fortunately, most Buddhists here don't really practice that part, but rather they make use of the postive, life-affirming stuff, and try to shrug off addictive behaviors which are rather rampant in our society.
Also I corrupted one from considering going abstinent to having threesomes.
no more, no more
it cannot wait
i'm yours
My teacher is an ex-catholic priest turned gay buddhist-christian, so there's some promise for excitement there at least.
As might be expected by anyone who would write such a piece of drivel, that man has absolutely no conception of the history of christianity.
But of course.
Be really careful about narrowing things down too much or over-interpreting with your own biases.
--
Girard is one of the very few writers that I have actual, true, natural respect for. He is to me like Hawking is to science nerds who don't know enough to realize how flawed Hawking's ideas have been.
*nods* Yeah, I'm trying to go in with an open mind. I was raised christian, but I dropped that faith a long time ago. I'm just a very, very un-religiously minded person, but I've already found some things I like, and some things I don't. I just really want to get past the stories about the buddha's psychic powers and crap.
Thanks, Inqui! You never know, my career path right now is that of a professor.
And From whom did you learn this factical "history of christianity?"
Oh god I love that song.
I think he's talking about the perspective it takes and not the religion itself.
No he's not. And his arguments are pretty sound and coherent.
I will assume "factical" is just a typo and not one of your made-up words.
In another context that could be a good question but considering who is asking it I am guessing it is merely an opening for a long winded and pointless tangent. It would be impossible for one person to be an expert on such a large subject.
But it requires no great expertise to see that either that man is just fucking around with definitions (I'll just define "mythology" to mean "not Christianity" and like magic they are now opposites!) or completely delusional. Look at the source material. The composition of the early church. How could someone read the Nag Hamadi texts and claim they are the "opposite" of christianity? Or make the claim there is no sexuality in the gospels? Not much certainly. But not "none".
Edit: Gah, I can't believe I am even wasting precious seconds thinking about this. I'm going for a run.
He quite clearly says that Christianity takes the perspective of the victim and of persons, which makes it the opposite of Gnosticism. Unless I'm reading this wrong.
edit: I'm not arguing against his arguments.
Neither
So you are standing against your previous thesis?
No. By mythology, he means the linguistic drive to reproduce itself through ethnocentrism. This, Girard argues, is why every culture has their own mythologies. It's why mythologies have to be unreal, because they have to be the functional core of culture/society. Christianity, on the other hand, does not seek to reproduce it's culture in violence, but rather assimilate everyone into its mythos so that they can be saved and there can be peace.
Historically that's a pretty bad explanation. Christianity assimilated and saved after killing everyone.
ahahahhahahahahhaha
oh jesus podly, you crack me up
hey everybody go to HA and help me out with my computron!
What is the timeperiod that we are using? The original christians thought that the world would end during their lifetime.
Uh
its happening now. Want to maybe read up on the actions of orthodox christians in eastern europe and russia?
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=68568
Don't be retarded.
Who wrote most of that theology may I ask?
So. Good.
What do you mean?
Perhaps you should stare more closely.
If you hear anyone chanting the names of Marduk, just ignore it. You will be beyond caring soon enough. By the way, how have your organs been lately?
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
You know full well that people use any ideologies to justify violence. Don't give me that crap.
The day of reckoning comes!